The total number of journalists killed around the world in 2015 is 110, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) stated while some died in war zones the many were killed in supposedly peaceful countries. Sixty-seven journalists were killed in the line of duty this year, the watchdog group stated that in its annual roundup, listing Iraq and Syria as the most dangerous places for journalists which has 11 and 10 fatalities respectively, followed by France, 8 journalists were killed in a jihadist assaul, 43 died around the world in unclear circumstances and 27 non-professional journalists and 7 other media workers were also killed.it was stated that most of the killing can be attributed to deliberate violence against journalists which shows the failure of initiatives to protect media personnel. The United Nations is being called to take action.
The report shed light on the growing role of jihadists in perpetrating atrocities against journalists. In 2014, it was said that two-thirds of the journalists killed were in war zones. But in 2015, it was the exact opposite, with two-thirds killed in countries ‘at peace’.
The non-state groups such as jihadists perpetrate targeted atrocities while too many governments do not comply with their obligations under international law, RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire said the journalists killed this year need a response that matches the emergenc and also a representative of the United Nations secretary-general for the safety of journalists should be appointed soonest.
The 67 deaths makes the total number of journalists who were killed knowingly targeted or killed in the course of their work since 2005 to be 787, the Paris-based organisation said. In 2014, there were 66 such fatalities. France experienced an unprecedented attack on the press in January, when gunmen opened fire at the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people, including eight journalists.
No western country had suffered a massacre of such kind before because of that Charlie Hebdo’s journalists and employees have been living under close protection ever since. Some of them still have to keep changing their place of residence. In Syria, the northern town of Aleppo was described as “a minefield” for professional and citizen-journalists alike.
Following various parties to conflict since 2011, journalists are liable to end up as collateral victims, being taken hostage by a non-state group (such as Islamic State, the Al Nusra Front or the Free Syrian Army) or being arrested by the Assad regime, RSF said. Those who were killed in Syria included Japanese freelance reporter Kenji Goto, who was executed by the Islamic State group in macabre released a video of it in January.
India the most ‘dangerous’ Asian country, where nine journalists had been killed since the start of 2015, some of them for reporting on organised crime and its links with politicians and others for covering illegal mining. India saw five journalists killed in the course of their work and four for uncertain reasons, which is why it ranked below France where the cause of death was known.
Their deaths confirm India’s position as Asia’s deadliest country for media personnel, ahead of both Pakistan and Afghanistan, RSF urged the Indian government to establish a national plan for protecting journalists. In Bangladesh, four secularist bloggers were killed in acts claimed by local jihadists.
“The passivity of the Bangladeshi authorities in the face of this bloodbath has fostered a climate of impunity that is extremely dangerous for citizen journalists,” RSF said. The report also placed the spotlight on 54 journalists who were held hostage at the end of 2015, 26 of them in Syria, and 153 journalists who were in prison, 23 of them in China and 22 in Egypt.
